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Feng Shui Step by Step

What are the Elements and

Principles of Feng Shui?

What Are the Basics to Know About

this Ancient Chinese Practice?

By Nancy C. Canestaro, D.Arch.

www.fengshuifyi.com

Feeling the Energies

• Have you ever been in someone’s house that was

arranged beautifully, but you couldn’t wait to leave?

• Are there other places you’ve been that felt really

good…you didn’t want to leave?

• Don’t you think it might improve your life to

understand how to work with these beneficial and

detrimental energies to create spaces that feel as

good as they look?

© 2010 by Nancy C. Canestaro, D.Arch.

@ www.fengshuifyi.com

Understanding the Energies

This presentation demonstrates how to:

• Determine your personal energy;

• Identify life enhancing and life depleting energies in

a building; and

• Design interior spaces with these energies in mind;

Feng Shui allows you to create harmonious interiors.



What Is Feng Shui?

Classical Feng Shui…

• Is an understanding of the movement of energies

coming from the land and captured inside where

we live and work

• Gives you ways to enhance beneficial energies and

reduce harmful ones!

• Is not the pop culture version which is “intuitive”

and not necessarily based on classical traditions.



Assume You’re the Client

We need to know a few things about you…

• Day, Month, and Year you were Born

• Direction out from the Back of your Home

• Floor Plan Sketch of your Home

with Bedroom and Work areas noted

(Places where you spend more than a couple

of hours a day)



What Is Feng Shui Energy…

• On the Land

• For a Person

• In a House or other Building

• As a Design Solution



How Qi Flows on Property

• Roads, waterways, and downward slopes… Qi

should flow gently, meander, not rush past such as a

nearby interstate or a road pointing at the house.

• Mountains, hills, and buildings…As you look out the

front of your home, the tallest mountains and buildings

should be on the left and back sides of the house.

• Poison Arrows… Corners of nearby buildings and

roofs, electrical transformers, or dead tree branches

should not be in a direct view from your house.



Energy on the Land

• Yin… still, quiet energies

• Yang… active, moving energies

• Qi… invisible life force energy permeating

everything.

Feng means “Wind” that disperses Qi.

Shui means “Water” that collects Qi.



Yin, Yang, and Qi on the Land

IIll

There is too much Yin Energy in the back of this house

The mountain feels heavy against the house

There is too much Yang Energy in the front

The house is precariously balanced on the land

And now a story about the family who lives here…




• There is a family who lives in this house…a

Father, Mother, Daughter, and Son.

• The Daughter in the front can’t settle down.

• The Son in the back is over-burdened by life.

• The Feng Shui Master points out the problems…

• There’s too much Yin (mountain energy) in the back of

the house and too much Yang (movement) in front.

Adapted From: Spears, William. Feng Shui Made Easy. New York: Harper. 1995, p. 111.




Solutions…

First, in the back, fast growing bamboo

is planted between the mountain and the

house.

Next, boulders are placed against the edge

of the cliff and around the house in the

front to lessen the feeling of falling.



Personal Energy Patterns

• You personally have one of eight energy

patterns, called a Trigram

• Your Trigram is based on your birth year and

whether female or male

• Each year begins on February 4 th or 5 th (not

January 1, as it does here in the West)

• Trigrams are formula driven



Steps for the Personal Trigram

For the next step in the process, you’re going to

do two things simultaneously…

• First, find the Trigram for a hypothetical husband

and wife.

• Second, you may also want to calculate your own

Personal Trigram for comparison.



A Woman’s Trigram Formula

Add the numbers in the birth year…

For example, our woman’s birthday is February 6, 1962

• Add the year numbers… (1 + 9 + 6 + 2 = 18)

• Keep adding, until you have one number… (1 + 8 = 9)

• Add “4” to this number… (9 + 4 = 13)

• Reduce to one number again… (1 + 3 = 4)

• If the result is a “5”, use “8” for her energy.

• Your final number will be a 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, or 9.



A Man’s Trigram Formula

Add the numbers in the birth year…

For example, our man’s birthday is February 6, 1962

• Add the year numbers… (1 + 9 + 6 + 2 = 18)

• Keep adding, until you have one number… (1 + 8 = 9)

• Subtract result from “11”… (11 – 9 = 2)

• If “10” is the result, add again (1 + 0 = 1)

• If the result is a “5”, use “2” for your energy

• Your final number will be 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, or 9.



Personal Trigram (Note your Trigram and its #)

• If #1 you are Kan ‘con’, Water energy

• If #2 you are Kun ‘coon’, Soft Earth energy

• If #3 you are Zhen ‘shun’ Hard Wood energy

• If #4 you are Xun ‘zoon’, Soft Wood energy

• If #6 you are Qian ‘chi-un’, Hard Metal energy

• If #7 you are Dui ‘do-way’ Soft Metal energy

• If #8 you are Gen ‘gun’, Hard Earth energy

• If #9 you are Li ‘lee’, Fire energy



Example Trigram (Note the Man and Woman’s #)

• If #1 you are Kan ‘con’, Water energy

• If #2 Man’s Kun ‘coon’, Soft Earth energy

• If #3 you are Zhen ‘shun’ Hard Wood energy

• If #4 Woman’s Xun ‘zoon’, Soft Wood energy

• If #6 you are Qian ‘chi-un’, Hard Metal energy

• If #7 you are Dui ‘do-way’ Soft Metal energy

• If #8 you are Gen ‘gun’, Hard Earth energy

• If #9 you are Li ‘lee’, Fire energy



Building Trigrams

• For the Trigram (energy pattern) of a building,

follow the steps on the next few slides.

• Work with the example and later to help determine

the Trigram for your own residence.



The Next Step in the Process

• You personally are one of eight Trigrams. You’ve

just determined this. Our examples are Kan

energy for the woman and Kun for the man.

• Our example house is also one of these same eight

Trigrams. We’ll determine this energy pattern next.

• End Result… Their personal Trigrams may or

may not match the House Trigram.

• Let’s examine a fit and a misfit!



How to Find the Building Trigram

• Sketch a proportional floor plan of your house.

• Grid the plan into 9 equal segments, 3 per side.

(This will resemble a tic-tac-toe grid.)

• Expand the grid to cover all areas of the house.

• Leave small jut outs, bay windows, etc. off the grid.

• Determine compass directions and label each

segment accordingly… North, NE, East, SE, etc.



Draw Floor Plan Grid

Plan



Add Compass Directions

NW SE South – Front North of House SW NE

East

Plan

West

NE North Direction Out From Back NW



House Trigrams

• If back is North, house is #1 Kan – Water Energy

• If back is SW, house is #2 Kun – Soft Earth Energy

• If back is East, house is #3 Zhen – Hard Wood Energy

• If back is SE, house is #4 Xun – Soft Wood Energy

• If back is NW, house is #6 Qian – Hard Metal Energy

• If back is West, house is #7 Dui – Soft Metal Energy

• If back is NE, house is #8 Gen – Hard Earth Energy

• If back is South, house is #9 Li - Fire Energy



Example House Trigram

• Example is North, house is #1 Kan - Water Energy

• If back is SW, house is #2 Kun – Soft Earth Energy

• If back is East, house is #3 Zhen – Hard Wood Energy

• If back is SE, house is #4 Xun – Soft Wood Energy

• If back is NW, house is #6 Qian – Hard Metal Energy

• If back is West, house is #7 Dui – Soft Metal Energy

• If back is NE, house is #8 Gen – Hard Earth Energy

• If back is South, house is #9 Li - Fire Energy



Information We Have Now

• For our example, assume one person is a Female

with Xun energy and the other is a Male with Kun

energy.

• The House Trigram, from the direction out the back

of the house. (Our example is North out the back,

so it has Kan, Water Energy)

• I’m now going to show you where good and bad

energies are in this house for these two people.



Positive and Negative House Energies

• In every house there are four good directions

(life enhancing) and four detrimental areas

(life depleting).

• The center sector is directionless, not a Trigram.

• The directions are rank ordered from the most

beneficial or Yang energies (+4) to the most

detrimental or Yin (-4).



Two Groups of House Energy Patterns

Hang on, it gets just a bit complicated here…

• Group 1 includes four Trigrams with its own

common set of life enhancing and life depleting

directions.

• Group 2, the remaining four Trigrams, has a

different set of life enhancing and life depleting

directions.

• Know the house Trigram so that you can identify

the four corresponding life enhancing directions.



Ranking of Beneficial Energies

There are different qualities of beneficial energies…

+4 is the most active or productive area in a house

+3 is a good area for healing, health, and longevity

+2 is the place for harmony and romance

+1 is a peaceful area, good for meditation or sleep



Best Directions for Group 1 Trigrams

• Kun (+4) NE (+3) W (+2) NW (+1) SW

• Gen (+4) SW (+3) NW (+2) W (+1) NE

• Qian (+4) W (+3) NE (+2) SW (+1) NW

• Dui (+4) NW (+3) SW (+2) NE (+1) W

Be patient, our example house is in Group 2



Best Directions for Group 2 Trigrams

• Zhen (+4) S (+3) N (+2) SE (+1) E

• Xun (+4) N (+3) S (+2) E (+1) SE

• Li (+4) E (+3) SE (+2) N (+1) S

• Kan (+4) SE (+3) E (+2) S (+1) N (house)

Next we’re going to match the homeowners’ energies

to this Kan house



Best Locations for the Man

Does this list look familiar? It is the Group 1 Trigrams.

• Kun (+4) NE (+3) W (+2) NW (+1) SW (male)

• Gen (+4) SW (+3) NW (+2) W (+1) NE

• Qian (+4) W (+3) NE (+2) SW (+1) NW

• Dui (+4) NW (+3) SW (+2) NE (+1) W

We have a Group 1 male living in a Group 2 house.

This is a misfit.



Best Locations for the Woman

Does this list look familiar? It is the Group 2 Trigrams.

• Zhen (+4) S (+3) N (+2) SE (+1) E

• Xun (+4) N (+3) S (+2) E (+1) SE (female)

• Li (+4) E (+3) SE (+2) N (+1) S

• Kan (+4) SE (+3) E (+2) S (+1) N (house)

Here we have a Group 2 female living in a Group 2 house.

This is a fit.



What Do We Now Know?

• The homeowners are living in a Kan house.

• The husband experiences life depleting energy in

this house.

• The wife experiences life enhancing energy in this

house.

• How do we make this house work for both these

people?



Example Floor Plan - Kan House


+4

+2

Best Places

in Kan House

(noted in red)

East

+3

Plan

West

+1




Example Floor Plan – Kan House – Xun Woman

East


+4

+1

+3

+2

+2

+3

+1

+4

Plan

West


Best Places

in Kan House

(noted in red)

Best Places

for a Xun Woman

(noted in green)

No Problem…

Good areas in

House are the

Good areas for

the Xun Woman!



Example Floor Plan – Kan House – Kun Male

East


+4

+3

+4

+2

+1

+1

Plan

+3

+2

West


Best Places

in Kan House

(noted in red)

Best Places

for a Kun Male

(noted in green)

Big Problem…

Good areas in

House are the

Bad areas for

the Kun Male!



How to Correct for a Mismatch

• Find a new house that has life enhancing energies

in the right places for both homeowners (typically

impractical).

• Spend time in the life enhancing spaces in your

current house that complement your personal

energy (sometimes unconventional).

• Be creative in designing the spaces to work for both

people (a win-win solution).



Example Floor Plan – Corrections for Kun Male

East


+4

+3

+4

Work Here

for Productivity

+2

+1

+1

Plan

+3

+2

Sleep Here

for Best Rest

West


Best Places

in Kan House

(noted in red)

Best Places

for a Kun Male

(noted in green)

The NE is the

best location for

the Man to work.

He should sleep

in the NW.



Where Should They Spend Their Time?

The husband and wife are not going to be attracted

to or feel good in the same spaces.

• She will work most productively in the living room

and he in the NE bedroom. (Not a problem)

• He will sleep best in the NW bedroom, but it won’t

be as peaceful a room for her. (This is a problem.)

• The house energy works for her, so she should

compromise on the bedroom location. (Love conquers all)

The Five Elements can also be used to remedy a misfit.



Feng Shui Remedies

The Five Elements are…

Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water



What Are the Five Elements?

• The Five Elements come from the earth, each

one resonating at a different energy frequency.

• Place enough of the correct element in a room and

you will positively alter the way the space feels.

• Elements can amplify, dampen, or create havoc

with the energy in a room.

You have to be careful mixing and matching elements.



How Can Designers Use the Elements?

• Wood – use green colors or a cluster of plants

• Fire – use red colors, candles, or a working fireplace

• Earth – use tans and browns, stone or ceramics

• Metal – use gold, silver, white or moving metal art

• Water – use blues and black, or a large aquarium

Knowing Feng Shui allows you to select the proper

elements to remedy or enhance the energy in a space.



Why Interior Designers Need Feng Shui?

• Most of us know that some spaces feel good

and others don’t.

• If you trust your senses, shouldn’t you be

determining spatial energy patterns first and

then applying the best design solutions to meet

your particular needs?

I’d rather give my clients a good design that feels

great, rather than a great design that is not livable.

How do you feel about this scenario?



Appendix A – Personal Trigrams

Determine your personal energy pattern, or Trigram

from the following charts:

• Find your year of birth (classified by male or female).

• Note the number, name, pronunciation, and element.

• Review energy characteristics, health issues,

and associated colors.



#1: Kan ‘con’ Water Energy

Women born: 1932, 1941, 1950, 1959, 1968, 1977, 1986, 1995, 2004

Men born: 1927, 1936, 1945, 1954, 1963, 1972, 1981, 1990, 1999, 2008

• Energy “to adapt”, can be a hurricane or still pond

• Goes with the flow, good networkers, mediators

• Can be manipulative, persistent like a drippy faucet

• Health Issues – ears, blood, kidneys, bogged down, diarrhea,

• Kan colors – blue and black

• Kan direction – North



#2: Kun ‘coon’ Soft Earth Energy

Women born: 1933, 1942, 1951, 1960, 1969, 1978, 1987, 1996, 2005

Men born: 1932, 1935, 1941, 1944, 1950, 1953, 1959, 1962, 1968, 1971,

1977, 1980, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2004, 2007

• Energy “to nurture”, of the rolling hills, soil, protective

• Down to earth, practical, reliable, good natured

• Emotionally sensitive, internalizes emotions

• Health Issues – abdomen, stomach, reproductive organs

• Kun colors – yellow, tan, or brown

• Kun direction – Southwest



#3: Zhen ‘shun’ Hard Wood Energy

Women and Men born: 1925, 1934, 1943, 1952, 1961, 1970, 1979,

1988, 1997, 2006

• Energy “to take responsibility”, like an oak, roots go deep

• Determined, exuberant, fearless

• A force to reckon with, similar to thunder can yell

• Health Issues – feet, liver, sore throat, hysteria, shock

• Zhen color – green

• Zhen direction – East



#4: Xun ‘zoon’ Soft Wood Energy

Women born: 1935, 1944, 1953, 1962, 1971, 1980, 1989, 1998, 2007

Men born: 1924, 1933, 1942, 1951, 1960, 1969, 1978, 1987, 1996, 2005

• Energy “to travel or move”, like a birch, flexible

• Optimistic, romantic, social, varied interests

• Blows in the wind, bends rules, emotional ups and downs

• Health Issues – hips, thighs, buttocks, wind/gas

• Xun color – green

• Xun direction – Southeast



#6: Qian ‘chi-un’ Hard Metal Energy

Women born: 1928, 1937, 1946, 1955, 1964, 1973, 1982, 1991, 2000, 2009

Men born: 1931, 1940, 1949, 1958, 1967, 1976, 1985, 1994, 2003

• Energy “to lead”, someone who makes/breaks rules

• Leader, disciplinarian, goal oriented, focused

• Lonely, proud, bossy, perfectionist

• Health Issues – head, bones, lungs

• Qian color – gold, silver, white

• Qian direction – Northwest



#7: Dui ‘do-way’ Soft Metal Energy

Women born: 1929, 1938, 1947, 1956, 1965, 1974, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2010

Men born: 1930, 1939, 1948, 1957, 1966, 1975, 1984, 1993, 2002 , 2011

• Energy “to babble” like a brook; good speaker

• Processes information verbally, vivacious, attractive

• Argumentative, cut with words , life can be challenging

• Health Issues – mouth, teeth, tongue, phlegm

• Dui color – gold, silver, white

• Dui direction – West



#8: Gen ‘gun’ Hard Earth Energy

Women born: 1930, 1936, 1939, 1945, 1948, 1954, 1957, 1963, 1966,

1972, 1975, 1981, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2008, 2011

Men born: 1929. 1938, 1947, 1956, 1965, 1974, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2010

• Energy “to be of service”, like a mountain, immovable

• Traditionalist, stable, loyal, good with money

• Mulls things over, stubborn, can hold grudges

• Health Issues – hands, fingers, arthritis, limbs injuries

• Gen color – yellow, tan, brown

• Gen direction – Northeast



Appendix B – Building Trigrams

The process for determining the Building Trigram is…

• Sketch a proportional floor plan of the house.

• Grid the plan into 9 equal segments, 3 per side.

• Expand the grid to cover all areas of the house.

Leave small jut outs off the grid.

• Label the compass directions for each segment.



The Meaning of the Building Trigrams

+4 is the most active, productive area in a building

+3 is health, longevity

+2 is harmony, romance, good relationships

+1 is the most peaceful area, good for sleep

-1 is frustrations, obstacles, hassles

-2 is arguing, lawsuits, relationship issues

-3 is robbery, treachery, evil influences

-4 is unproductive, brings illness



The Best Locations for Group One

Best Locations for Group 1… from most active to

most peaceful. (+4) is very active, good for work;

(+3) is busy; (+2) is calm, loving; (+1) is for deep sleep.

• Kun (+4) NE (+3) W (+2) NW (+1) SW

• Gen (+4) SW (+3) NW (+2) W (+1) NE

• Qian (+4) W (+3) NE (+2) SW (+1) NW

• Dui (+4) NW (+3) SW (+2) NE (+1) W



The Best Locations for Group Two

Best Locations for Group 2… from most active to

most peaceful. (+4) is active, good for work;

(+3) is busy; (+2) is calm, loving; (+1) is for deep sleep.

• Zhen (+4) S (+3) N (+2) SE (+1) E

• Xun (+4) N (+3) S (+2) E (+1) SE

• Li (+4) E (+3) SE (+2) N (+1) S

• Kan (+4) SE (+3) E (+2) S (+1) N



Appendix C – Five Element Cycles

There are two ways to use the Five Element Cycles…

• Choose an element that enhances your beneficial

personal energy (from the Productive Cycle)

• Choose an element that reduces detrimental energy

around you (from the Reductive Cycle)



The Productive Cycle

Wood

Water

Fire

Metal

Wood Fuels Fire

Earth

Fire Ash Adds to Earth

Earth Contains Metal

Metal Holds Water

Water Makes Plants Grow

Arrows Indicate How One Element Feeds the Next



The Reductive Cycle

Wood

Water

Fire

Metal

Wood Takes Up Water

Earth

Water Rusts Metal

Metal is Taken Out of the Earth

Earth Puts Out Fire

Fire Burns Wood

Arrows Indicate How One Element Reduces Another



Recommended Reading List

Skinner, Stephen. Flying Star Feng Shui. Boston: Tuttle

Publishing. 2003.

Wong, Eva. Feng Shui: The Ancient Wisdom of Harmonious

Living for Modern Times. Boston: Shambhala. 1996.

Moran, Elizabeth, et.al. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Feng

Shui, 3 rd Ed. Indianapolis, IA Alpha Books. 2005.

Sang, Larry. The Principles of Feng Shui. Monterey Park,

CA: American Feng Shui Institute. 1994.



May you enjoy peace and harmony in your life

and I hope you enjoyed this presentation.

-Nancy

Many thanks to Thomas Rawdon for the lovely graphics, Mary Ann Venable, Cheryl Samas,

Gene Lavers, and Mary Ann Love’s bridge group for allowing me to practice on them, and

my dear sweet husband, Jim, who gave me so much technical support.



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